Durham County, located in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina, was formed in 1881 from Orange and Wake Counties and was named after the town of Durham, which had already been established in the area. The early inhabitants of the region included the Occaneechi and Eno Indians, followed by English, Scotch-Irish, and German settlers. Durham, the county seat, was incorporated in 1869. Other communities in Durham County include Bahama and Rougemont (and parts of Chapel Hill spill over from neighboring Orange County). Notable physical features include the Eno and Neuse Rivers, New Hope and Mountain Creeks, and Lake Michie.

The Research Triangle Park, home to many high-tech businesses and institutions, is located in southern Durham County and northern Wake County. The county produces agricultural goods such as tobacco, corn, soybeans, hay, wheat, barley, oats, strawberries, beef and dairy cattle, chickens, and swine, and its manufactured products include telecommunications equipment, electronic integrated circuits, fiber optics, drapes, bedspreads, and surgical instruments. The county also produces minerals such as petrified wood, hematite, pyrite, and hornblende. Durham County's population was estimated to be just under 239,000 in 2004.

References:

Jean Bradley Anderson, Durham County: A History of Durham County, North Carolina (1990).